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If you are one of the many people who own and run a manufacturing business, you may have found that over the years you have hit a few stumbling blocks that have stopped you from being able to reach the heights you have always dreamed of.
In today’s post, we are going to be looking at a few methods you could and should be using should you want to see some exponential growth within your manufacturing business. Remember, while you may have hit a wall, there is nothing stopping you knocking that wall down.
Why You Need To Bring Your Business Forward
One of the most essential things any business can do today is to embrace modern solutions. It’s understandable that a lot of manufacturing firms have been established for many years and they think that change will bring their demise, when the truth is, most of the time it’s the lack of change that finishes them off.
Everywhere we look today there are businesses that are closing, it matters not the reputation they may have or how long they have been around, the economy cares not. If you are a manufacturing company and you want to avoid closure and really start to see some changes happen quickly, then there is no better time than now to adopt some modern solutions.
Modern-Day Solution To Waste
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One of the biggest issues for manufacturing companies all over the world is managing their levels of production waste. It matters not the size or status of the company; if there is still no application of the modern solution, the levels of waste will still be sitting at levels that can cripple any company.
When it comes to modern-day application for the prevention of waste, manufacturing companies should be looking at precision engineering software and hardware solutions like digital load cells. By investing in solutions like this, you will soon find that your waste management is operating better than ever and you will be slowly bringing your company into the 21st century.
Logistics
Another thing that seems to perplex manufacturing companies is the efficiency of their process and how digitization can improve this process exponentially.
It seems that a lot of manufacturing companies, while they have embraced the joy of technology, they have yet managed to embrace systems like the buyer’s journey. If you are unfamiliar with the buyer’s journey, then it is everything from the moment a potential customer looks at you for a product until the time that product is delivered to them.
While the entire journey is important, we are going to be looking at shipping and logistics. If there is one thing that has cost manufacturing companies over the years, it’s poor logistics solutions or contracts that they just don’t want to change.
While your company may have been using the same shipping company for the last 20 years, you should be asking yourself if that shipping company are able to provide a price and service that can compete with modern-day carriers.
Modern shippers will often be far more competitive than you realize and you will also get solutions like live tracking of your shipments and updates should there be any delay. With services like this, you can offer your customers extra peace of mind and also a service that is now a necessity that most of your competitors are probably offering.
The final thing you should also be aware of when it comes to shipping is the change in what you will pay for your shipments. You should now be looking to train your entire workforce in the ways of shipping classes.
Shipping classes and the numbers associated with them are individual assignment codes that will determine the cost of any consignment that you send. By getting to know these codes, you will be able to forecast better for your shipping costs, and you may find that over the last couple of years you have been losing money due to incorrect shipping costs.
Update Your Systems
While at your core you are a manufacturing company, there is still a great level of importance you should be addressing to your systems and your software.
The first thing we should look at is your software. If you are a company that allows your consumers to place orders online, you need to keep an accurate record of your stock levels at all times.
While this sounds like it could be quite tedious, by simply having software than runs in unison via every section, your software will automatically be able to update your inventory in real-time.
Having a real-time stock inventory will always pay well with your customers as it will be able to deliver them accurate times for them to be able to receive their orders. Not only will a capable system be able to do this, you should be looking to use software than takes care of your customer database and also works in unison with any other software you may have.
Automation
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Yet again, another solution that many manufacturing companies are ignoring and it could be one of the most important applications you can apply to your business.
Automation could be the one solution that the 21st century has brought with it that could take your business to brand new levels without you barely having to lift a finger. Automation solutions are many in the business world of today, but none as important as the virtual assistant.
Unlike chatbots, virtual assistants are incredibly versatile and can offer your business both money saving and efficiency solutions. Virtual assistants can learn from the interactions they have; they can manage calls and even act as a personal assistant in some ways.
Why is this important for a manufacturing business you ask? Well, most manufacturing businesses can be difficult to reach, and if they want to be reachable, there is a need for a whole customer service division of the company.
With the aid of both chatbots and virtual assistants, you can eliminate both the need and cost of these, and you will be left with an organized solution that can deal with pretty much anything you require of them.
Use Your Employees The Right Way
One of the biggest issues when it comes to manufacturing companies is that it’s hard to show the employees just how valuable they really are.
If you are one of those companies, then maybe it’s time you looked at something like upskilling to show your team how much you value them. While this may sound silly, this is possibly the best thing you will be able to do with your business to see some growth.
By simply offering your employees the chance to train and better themselves, you will not only be able to show your team how much you value them, but you will also get a workforce with an increased skill level and a whole load of employees who are now incentivized to work harder.
While upskilling may sound simple, many companies have found that with its simple application, the business productivity rate has improved massively.
Conclusion
So, there you have it, this has been just a few of the 21st-century solutions that you may want to apply to your manufacturing business. While some may sound silly and others simple, they are all tried and tested solutions that have helped many a manufacturing business thrive rather than just survive.
